LONDON — The skies over Ukraine lit up with relentless Russian drone and missile attacks late Saturday night into early Sunday morning, a stark reminder of the ongoing conflict’s brutal toll despite an unprecedented prisoner exchange underway between Kyiv and Moscow. This latest assault, one of the largest since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, inflicted heavy damage on cities across Ukraine, disrupting lives even as efforts to swap thousands of prisoners gave hope to some.
According to the Armed Forces Operational Command in Poland — a NATO ally bordering Ukraine — fighter jets scrambled to counter the “intensive activity” of Russian long-range aviation targeting multiple locations in western Ukraine. The Polish military described the attacks as involving a coordinated strike campaign across broad swaths of Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine’s Air Force provided detailed figures on Telegram, reporting that Russia launched 367 air attack vehicles, including nine Iskander ballistic missiles, 56 cruise missiles, four guided air missiles, and 298 attack drones. Demonstrating significant defensive capabilities, Ukrainian forces intercepted 45 cruise missiles and 266 drones, successfully neutralizing much of the incoming firepower.
Despite these defenses, the scale and scope of the strikes meant most regions across Ukraine felt the impact. Reports confirmed attacks on 22 locations, with intercepts recorded in 15 of these areas. Tragically, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry reported at least 12 people killed during the strikes, including three children from the same family, and over 60 others injured. The bombardment damaged more than 80 residential buildings and ignited 27 fires.
In Kyiv’s suburbs, vital infrastructure and homes bore the brunt of the attacks, with university dormitories housing the history department struck directly. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strikes as “deliberate attacks on ordinary cities,” underscoring the human cost of the conflict.
“Ordinary residential buildings were destroyed and damaged. In Kyiv, dormitories of the university’s history department were hit. There were also strikes on enterprises. Tragically, people were killed, including children,” Zelenskyy wrote in a social media statement early Sunday.
This marked the fourth consecutive night of intense bombardment by Russian forces, with over 100 missiles and drones unleashed nightly, reflecting a pattern of sustained, large-scale attacks in recent months. Concurrently, Ukraine continued its own offensive drone strikes deep inside Russian territory. Russian Defense Ministry officials reported downing 110 Ukrainian drones overnight, signaling an ongoing aerial duel in this protracted war.
The timing of the attacks is particularly poignant, coinciding with the start of a multi-day prisoner swap process that began on Friday. Approximately 1,000 prisoners from both sides are expected to be exchanged, with the operation projected to continue through Sunday. This exchange is poised to be the largest since the onset of hostilities in February 2022.
Despite ongoing prisoner swaps — one of the few areas of cooperation between Moscow and Kyiv — diplomatic efforts remain fraught. Peace talks brokered by the U.S. since President Donald Trump’s return to office have yet to yield a lasting agreement. Both sides accuse the other of undermining negotiations, with Ukraine demanding a full 30-day ceasefire as a precondition for talks. Zelenskyy has firmly rejected any peace deal that involves territorial concessions.
Russia’s maximalist demands continue to fuel the impasse. Moscow insists on the annexation of four partially-occupied Ukrainian regions, permanent control over Crimea (seized in 2014), Ukraine’s demilitarization, a ban on NATO accession, and the nebulous “denazification” of Kyiv’s government — a claim widely debunked by Western analysts as baseless propaganda.
The relentless Russian strikes have only hardened Ukrainian resolve. Zelenskyy warned the international community that Russia’s actions demonstrate insincerity in its calls for peace.
“Each such terrorist Russian strike is a sufficient reason for new sanctions against Russia,” Zelenskyy said. “Russia is dragging out this war and continues to kill every day. The world may go on a weekend break, but the war continues, regardless of weekends and weekdays. This cannot be ignored. Silence of America, silence of others around the world only encourage Putin.”
“Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped,” Zelenskyy added. “Sanctions will certainly help. Determination matters now — the determination of the United States, of European countries, and of all those around the world who seek peace. The world knows all the weaknesses of the Russian economy.”
“The war can be stopped, but only through the necessary force of pressure on Russia,” he insisted. “Putin must be forced to think not about launching missiles, but about ending the war.”
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, voiced similar frustrations on Telegram, lamenting the ongoing violence despite calls for ceasefire.
“Instead of a ceasefire, there are murders,” Yermak wrote early Sunday. “Without pressure, nothing will change and Russia and its allies will only build up forces for such murders in Western countries. Moscow will fight as long as it has the ability to produce weapons.”
The prisoner exchange, while a hopeful step toward easing human suffering, contrasts sharply with the violence still raging across Ukraine’s cities and countryside. Over the past three years, prisoner swaps have provided rare moments of humanitarian cooperation, yet they have failed to stem the broader conflict’s brutality.
The international community remains wary but engaged, balancing efforts to support Ukraine with concerns about escalating the war further. Sanctions imposed by the U.S. and European allies have targeted Russian elites and economic sectors, though critics argue more robust measures are necessary.
As Ukraine marks the third year since Russia’s invasion began, the nation’s resilience and the cost of war are on full display. The ongoing drone and missile attacks, coupled with the challenges of diplomacy and prisoner exchanges, underscore the conflict’s complexity and the urgent need for concerted global action.
The coming days will likely reveal whether the prisoner swap can proceed without further escalations and whether new diplomatic avenues can emerge amid the carnage. For now, Ukraine mourns its losses, celebrates small victories, and continues its fight for sovereignty and peace.
The war’s toll remains staggering, but so does the spirit of the Ukrainian people — a testament to their courage in the face of relentless adversity.
